This guide is part of the Body Confidence Course, a free video series where acclaimed sex coach Georgia Grace and psychologist Rashida Dungarwalla share the insights and exercises they use to help their clients build more body confidence every day.
Gender dysphoria is a term used to describe the sense of disconnect that a person can feel between the body that they were born into, and the gender that they are. If someone’s body appears or behaves in a way that is not commonly in-step with their gender, they can experience gender dysphoria.
Often, gender dysphoria can be experienced by people who are transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming, but that’s not an exclusive list of people who can experience gender dysphoria. Gender norms can be really stifling, and it’s understandable that they can affect a wide variety of people in negative ways.
Gender dysphoria can affect a person’s confidence in themselves and their sense of comfort, but it can also affect their intimate relationships too. Someone experiencing gender dysphoria might be less comfortable getting undressed in front of their partner, or experience negative emotions when having sex or masturbating because their physical experience of their body differs from how they perceive their gender.
People can experience gender dysphoria very differently from each other, so there’s no ‘one size fits’ all exercise we can suggest that may lessen the unpleasant feelings of gender dysphoria. However, we do recommend reaching out to the following organisations to find community, hear tips and suggestions, and seek further support if necessary.
QLife: 1800 184 527
TransHub: https://www.transhub.org.au/
Transcend: https://transcend.org.au/
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